Talk to me about Northamptonshire

[Moving2Northants]

DH has been offered a job in Northampton (with 1 or 2 days per week in Kettering). It's the chance he's been waiting for and we would be mad not to take it. But we live in South Yorkshire at the moment and know nothing about the area. I get the impression that the towns aren't particularly nice (sorry just saying what I've heard). We would definitely want to live in a village. Live in suburbia at the moment and have wanted to move somewhere more rural for a long time anyway. Budget is about 325k and we have two children under 5. Thoughts welcome!

@Moving2Northants I think Wellingborough is best as Northampton is 15 mins away, train station is well connected and connections are improving, castle Ashby is lovely just 15 minutes away, Rushden Lakes, 7 minutes. I have a bias as I live near it of course. Villages to consider:
-Earls Barton
-Finedon
2 bigger villages with shops and good for walking around

-Sywell
-Overstone
-Great Doddington

Just some ideas to get you thinking. It's a hard decision to make. You need to decide: nicer house in rough area or rough house in Nice area. There was a whole thread on it recently. Good Luck, OP!
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@IdblowJonSnow

Culturally it's an exceptionally dull county. Agree with the comments re towns vs villages. Oundle is pretty but expensive.

We used to live in Northamptonshire. We lived in Northampton itself, Northern suburbs (Kingsthorpe hollow etc) were fine, we lived near the Racecourse and used to love the hot air balloon festivals.

Culturally Northamptonshire needs a better marketing deapartment. There are the most beautiful sandstone villages like Rockingham. It is the seat of the Civil War and loaded with old battle sites. It is also near Silverstone if you like that sort of thing. We were very happy there. I would avoid Wellingborough which was quadrupled in size for London overspill in the 60s and 70s and had lots of social problems as a result. When I lived there some of the villages around Kettering had problems with active Combat 18 cells but hopefully that will be a thing of the distant past now.

Earls Barton was "posh" in our day. Finedon had really hard times around the turn of the millenium when the shoe factory that employed most families closed down (I no longer buy Dr Martins boots!) - would need to look into that and unemployment rates etc locally. It was a fabulous little place beforehand. Richard Coles from the Communards is the vicar there.

I work at Northampton hospital but live in Turvey which is just across the border into Bedfordshire approx 20 minutes or so. The villages in Northamptonshire are mostly absolutely beautiful and I'd move there in a shot.

You need to decide: nicer house in rough area or rough house in Nice area

Definitely willing to compromise on house to live in a nicer area. So all of this info is extremely helpful to me being unfamiliar with Northants Could easily make a big mistake!

Culturally Northamptonshire needs a better marketing deapartment

I did find this website which was a pleasant surprise (pardon the pun!)
www.northamptonshiresurprise.com/

Market Harborough - Leicestershire but not far to Kettering my sis lives there and bil works in Kettering. Market town with lots of younger families and people commuting for work.
There are some beautiful villages in Northamptonshire.

Have a look at Muddy Stilettos and click on the dropdown for Northants. Gives you loads of ideas about the places in the locale www.muddystilettos.co.uk

We used to live in one of the pretty villages. I would move back there if I didn’t have to work in London. The SC were small then and they had a real Enid Blyton type childhood. They built camps in the fields (didn’t realise I could see them from the kitchen window), we went paddling in the river, they went riding.

I would prefer to have Northampton closer. Much much more to do see and great nature walks if you go out to kislingbury side. And salcey forest.

Whoever said there is no stately homes obviously hasnt been to Althorpe house in Northamptonshire

There are some david wilson homes going up on the road from northampton to Kettering. (By the way that road is a joke in the mornings) near to moulton. Its close enough to be near to northampton yet enough so your out of town.

My husband's home town is Kettering and I would move there (from London) today if I could. Although really that's because family is there. Would I choose it at random? Not sure. But I find it a reasonably pleasant place.
It depends what is important to you and your life really. I love Corby Swimming Pool and the bus link between Kettering and Corby is brilliant. I love Wicksteed Park. It's one of the best places in the UK if you ask me!!
For me the shops are fine - easy bus access to Northampton/Rushden Lakes for more variety of shops. Rushden has the greatest toy shop !!
The schools have/are educating my nieces and nephews just fine. Lovely countryside. Plenty of youth activities (scouts etc). Popular community events like the carnival and Kettering By The Sea and fireworks at Wicksteed. Nice library. Lovely little museum that does different events. There is the lighthouse theatre which apparently is great.
I would be perfectly happy living in Kettering.

Do look at Oundle, it is an absolute gem.

Oundle is lovely but at least 45 minutes away from Northampton and a lot lot more in rush hour.

If I had to pick a town to live near to then I would choose Northampton, as that is the largest town with lots of museums, restaurants, theatres and is just by the M1 so easy for you to get back to South Yorkshire to visit friends etc.

If you can chose a village part way between Northampton and Wellingborough then you can choose trains to London, Leicester and Birmingham.

Market Harborough isn't in Northamptonshire!

That's very true. But I can walk to Northamptonshire from my house in Harborough in about 3 minutes. So it's pretty close!

Yes Market Harborough is Leicestershire but close to the border. It's generally considered the same 'area'.

Brixworth (in particular) and Spratton are worth looking at.

Towcester is a possibility too and even around Brackley. There are loads of lovely villages around these towns and you could look at Stoke Bruerne. Also don’t discount Daventry and villages around there.

Northamptonshire is a proper rural county in many ways so the trick is to be within reasonable distance of the M1 or the A5 and A43. As others have said, avoid the bigger towns but once you start looking at the most attractive small towns and larger villages such as Blixworth and Guilsborough, there are some great places to live.

I know south Northants best and around Brackley and Towcester there is excellent countryside and lovely stone built villages. Rail links are ok too. Northampton and Long Buckby have rail links to London Euston and Birmingham. So it’s well connected in my view.

I think if you get to know Northants and are discerning, you will be fine.

I grew up in Crick and went to the secondary school in Guilsborough. It’s lovely around there. Yes Rugby and Northampton aren’t exactly metropolises but you can get everything you need. Depends what kind of lifestyle you want really.

Weldon outside Corby is beautiful, and there are the villages along the A14.

The last time I looked, Althorp was a privately owned stately home

I moved to Northampton for a job 15 years ago and have raised my son here.

We chose a village to the south of the county as it means I can get down to Milton Keynes for shopping/theatre etc in 30 mins. I hate central northampton town, except for the theatre district where there are a couple of decent restaurants.

There are a few gyms, different characters to them but we found one that suits us

We had a reasonable primary and then secondary school experience and my son if finishing college this year, which has also been ok (despite COVID interruptions)

We can get to Wellingborough, Bedford, Northampton or Milton Keynes stations easily for trips to London or Birmingham

We have several nice walking options eg Salcey forest, rushden lakes etc

All in all we have settled quite nicely and found ways round any of the counties deficits

I live in northampton and I agree that the town itself is not great. Schools can either be great or shocking I've found so research the local ones when u decide in an area. There are some nice private schools but the one closest to us is shutting in september. Secondary schools the girls and boys schools are both great but are hard to get into.

We tend to go to milton Keynes or rushden lakes to shop as northampton town centre is rough.
Transport is pretty good with rail links to London and Birmingham every half hour. Each taking approx an hour.

I think Towcester and Brackley are better for schools.

I would agree that Towcester and Brackley schools are probably better than Northampton (with the exception of the Boys/Girls schools), but are further south and therefore a bit more expensive than the northern parts of the county so bear that in mind - and Brackley to Kettering would be over an hour's drive.

*whattodo2019

Northamptonshire is an awful location.. sorry. I would t move there*

My Godson and his wife live there - near Silverstone. Apparently it is a nice community and they have fitted in well. His mum said it is a lovely place where they are but I have not been yet.

Very strange to read a thread about places I know so well. I was born in Wellingborough, lived in a few surrounding villages, including Earls Barton. I now live near Market Harborough (which is Leicestershire). Lots of pretty villages. All depends on budget, and what you enjoy, want a gym close? shopping? Bus service?